When on a hearing aid electrical or acoustic settings are to be changed, this is accomplished by means of controls on the device or by a remote control. These control elements are switches, potentiometers and the like, collectively referred to as control elements.
In view of the small dimensions of the device the control elements are quite tiny, requiring ultradexterous fingers for operating these elements. Since wearers of hearing aids are usually members of the older generation, it is often very difficult for them to manipulate such microcontrols. While a remote control unit can certainly overcome that problem, it is not always viewed as a desirable solution, and when the remote is misplaced as can easily happen, operation of the device is rendered altogether impossible.